If the sky is clear just after midnight Tuesday, April 15, a full moon with a reddish tinge will shine above Southern California, the first of four total lunar eclipses in the next 17 months.

From 12:06 a.m. until 1:24 a.m. Pacific time Tuesday, Earth’s shadow will block the light of the sun from reaching the moon. The red color is the light cast by all of the sunrises and sunsets occurring throughout the world.

Unlike some astronomical events, you don’t need to trek to a remote area away from urban lights to see the show. The moon will be brighter away from cities, but it also will be visible — weather permitting — no matter how densely populated your viewing area is, said Chris Clarke, who oversees the George F. Beattie Planetarium at San Bernardino Valley College….

Total lunar eclipses are not uncommon. The last two were in 2011. But this one is getting more attention than most because it is occurring on the first night of Passover and is the first of four in a row not interrupted by a partial eclipse. The next eclipses will be Oct. 8; April 4, 2015; and Sept. 28, 2015.